Iranian student Amin Abbasi saw no reason to live. Abused as a child, crushed by poverty, he was ready to kill.
But he was given the Scriptures in his own language and was fascinated by Jesus. He surrendered his life to Christ. He is now being trained at Elam Ministries which operates the only residential Bible Training Centre in the world for Iranians. This is his testimony.
Childhood
I was born into a poor family in the south of Iran where the extended family lived together in one community. We lived in my grandfather's house, but one day there was a terrible row and we had to leave. We were homeless and had no money to rent even the cheapest accommodation, so my parents were forced to build a shelter from the rubbish of the city. Though my father was a tailor, we knew terrible poverty. We had virtually nothing to eat, only plain bread and dates which were very cheap. I was very thin and ill all the time.
My father sent me out to work at the age of six as he needed the money. He also wanted me to be away from our poverty for a few hours a day. So I worked in an ice-cream restaurant. My father's intentions were good, but this was a terrible experience for me as the market I worked in was full of immoral people. Abusing children was normal - and I was not exempt. The worst effect of this was that it made me hate God and everything to do with religion. By the time I was a teenager I hated everything and, wanting revenge, got involved in stealing and immorality.
Revolution, war and despair
When Iran experienced her revolution in 1979 I became interested in politics, and a party that talked of re-distributing the national wealth especially attracted me. I joined this party and was soon involved in criminal activity which I was happy about, as I wanted to take my revenge on society. I also wanted to see the day when people like my father didn't have to suffer.
The party went to war against the regime. I joined the Mujah'deen and many of my friends lost their lives. I myself was nearly killed when a mortar shell exploded next to me and threw me in the air. Somehow I survived. After this our leader made a speech which left me heart-broken. He was so proud and selfish and I realised he was only concerned with using our simple zeal to get power. We didn't have any real worth for him. Without hope, disillusioned with everything and everybody, I went to a neighbouring country. But I became so depressed I decided to commit suicide. However, I got to know a religious person who encouraged me to attend a Qur'anic school. I did this, but there saw the teachers abusing young children. Once I came across a teacher molesting a child and I complained. I was expelled.
Europe and a Persian Bible
My despair increased and drove me to more evil. I stole, was immoral, used drugs and did every evil thing you could imagine. I continued like this until I decided to become a refugee in a European country. I was accepted by Norway and sent to a cold place in the north where for nine months a year the sun could not be seen. I was so desperate to get to a warmer part of the country that I applied to a school in the south, without knowing what kind of school it was or what subjects were taught. When I arrived, I was given a book, but not knowing Norwegian very well, I asked what kind of book it was. I was told it was the Bible.
I then realised that I had ended up in a Christian school! I had fled from religion, and now I was back in a school where religion was important - and the religion was new and foreign for me! I did not want to be lonely, so I didn't leave the school, but I told the teachers very clearly that I did not want to be a Christian. They were friendly and said it did not matter - I was still welcome to stay. So I attended the classes and learnt the language a lot better, but I didn't understand much about the Bible.
After a few months a visitor came to our school and started to talk about Christ and Christianity. He told us his organisation had a special library with Christian books in all the languages of the world. I asked him if they had a Persian Bible, and with great kindness he said he had and would be happy to let me have one.
Confusion and answers to prayer
As soon as I had a Persian Bible I started to understand who Jesus was. I couldn't understand the things in the school because of the language problem. But reading the Bible in my own language I understood Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he came from heaven to earth to die on the cross, and that he is now in heaven. This was very strange and new for me and I could not accept it since it was against my own religion. How could a prophet be the Son of God? How could God have a Son? If the Bible is right, what about my religion? But, if the Bible is wrong, why are these Christians so good and kind? During all my time at the Christian school I had seen no immorality, aggression or any evil.
O Lord, which way shall I choose? I was very confused, but all the time fascinated by this pure and lovely Person, Jesus Christ. I, who hadn't seen love, started to understand. He was the one person in the world who loved me. I knew this, but did not have the strength to give up my former beliefs because they were a deep-rooted part of my identity.
During this time of confusion I lost my bicycle, my only means of transport. I decided to pray to Jesus: 'Jesus, if this bike is found, I will believe in you'. I went to the pastor of my school and asked him to pray for the bike to be found. He laughed and said when things get lost in this city they are never found. But when he saw how desperate I was, he also prayed. The next day the bike was found miraculously. But I ignored my vow and didn't give my life to Jesus.
A little later I lost my wallet with all my papers and quite a bit of money in it. This was a disaster, especially as the next day I was due to go on a trip with other students and I needed my papers. That night I prayed from the bottom of my heart, asking Jesus for my wallet to be found by the next morning.
At 7.15 am the next day I was woken up and told there was someone who wanted to see me. I went downstairs and saw a man holding my wallet in his hand. He told me he'd found it the evening before, and even though there was money in it, he had an urgent feeling that he had to give it back. He said he couldn't rest, so he'd got up very early in the morning to give it back.
Rescued
I was amazed by this miracle. These two dramatic answers to prayer and the instinctive love for Christ that I already had now came together and I decided to give my life to Christ with all my heart.
The same day I went into my room, closed the door, knelt down and with weeping confessed all my sins. I asked Jesus to forgive me the way he'd forgiven sinners when he was on earth. I asked him to change my life and make me a new person. This is exactly what he has done. I felt all the hate and evil that had imprisoned me leave. Jesus not only gave me the power to get free from drugs, but also from cigarettes which I loved. Joy, hope and love filled my heart.
A few years have gone by since then and I still love Jesus. I now study the Bible and theology, as I want to be trained to help those who are as I was - starved of love and crushed by poverty.
As a part of my training with Elam Ministries I have gone on mission trips to Central Asia and Pakistan, and there have had great opportunities to share the love of Christ with people who understand my language. They are amazed to hear about Jesus from an Iranian with a Muslim background. My ambition is to go back to this region and preach Christ. I want them to know that there is one Person in this world who loves us and sacrificed his life for us. I want to tell them that this Person still lives and can make our cold and dark hearts warm and full of light. I hope the Lord helps me do this.
Home
Archives
Subscriptions
Adverts
Find a church
About us
Contact us
Site Map
Printable